In an interview with LR, Camilo Sánchez Villamarín, CEO of Laika, took stock of the last year of the company, also spoke about the new round of financing and pet insurance that they will launch.
How did the round go?
We are announcing the closing of a round of financing, Laika round A for a value of US $ 12 million. This round of investments was led by Justin Mateen, one of the co-founders of the Tinder platform. In addition, we have the participation of two national funds.
How will the obtained resources be used?
At Laika we have been growing both nationally and internationally. Today we have a presence in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga and Pereira. Internationally we are in Mexico (Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara) and in Chile (Santiago de Chile). All this growth has been in the last year. The resources, specifically, will be used to improve the user experience and bring us closer to the needs of “Pet lovers”.
Have they been affected by the situation of the pandemic?
The truth is that the effect of the pandemic had two repercussions on the business. Operationally it was very difficult because we had to hire staff during the pandemic. However, the positive impact was that people, being at home, began to adopt pets and that helped us multiply by five in sales.
Are you planning to reach the United States or other countries in the region?
This year we are going to open in Peru. For now, our plans are not to enter the United States, but we do seek to expand through the countries of Latin America.
In active users, how much did they grow in the last year?
We went from having 25,000 users in Colombia to having 100,000. Throughout the region the number is around 150,000 active users. The goal this year is to have 500,000 active users throughout the region and 300,000 in Colombia.
Have you included new lines on your platform, what news is coming for the brand?
In the first semester we include the category of hygiene and well-being for pets. Now at Laika we are going to launch a prepaid, veterinary medical insurance for pets. So our idea is that our users have insurance in which they pay $ 30,000 a month and that includes veterinarians in the house, video consultations, unlimited veterinary chat and, in addition, an insurance that covers any eventuality for the pet. That insurance can be for accident or illness in the amount of more or less $ 2 million.
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